


when i listen to your words

by chaosplxnet



Category: Bastille (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Don't Judge Me, M/M, Some mature content, but honestly i don't do smut so !, enjoy this piece of garbage i did instead of uni work, this is utter trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 14:19:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14046123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaosplxnet/pseuds/chaosplxnet
Summary: kyle falls for his TA.





	when i listen to your words

**Author's Note:**

> hey! please don't share this with any of the members of the band because that would be shitty.
> 
> anyways, please enjoy this trash xxx

            Kyle sighed as he waited before his first class of the morning, fidgeting with the rings on his fingers. This was one of his final general education classes, and he already couldn’t wait for it to be over. It wasn’t like he couldn’t enjoy this journalism class, per say. He just had better things to do during his life than sit there and talk about newspapers or whatever they were going to do.

            As the clock ticked closer to when the class started and the professor still hadn’t come in, Kyle wondered if he was in the wrong room. There were around fifty other students in the lecture hall, but he had sat in the wrong class before. Usually with classes like these, he just sat there until it ended, and then left and never returned and never spoke of his mistake. Maybe he should just leave because it was 10:02 and if the professor wouldn’t bother being on time, why should he?

            Just as Kyle was about to grab his shit and leave, the door opened and in bustled two rather disheveled men. One was older, obviously the professor, and the other man could’ve been confused for a student if he weren’t carrying a large file packed with papers. Must be the TA, aka the person who’ll do all the grading for the course. The younger man set the papers down on the desk, then stood up straight and brushed off his shirt, and Kyle suddenly found it hard to breathe because _holy fuck_ the TA was gorgeous.

            Tall, with black hair that was effortlessly styled, and blue eyes hidden behind crookedly sitting tortoiseshell glasses. A wrinkled button down and crisp dress pants completed his look, and suddenly Kyle was much more into this class than he had been two minutes ago.

            “Morning class,” the professor said distractedly as he walked up to the board and hastily wrote his name on it. “Sorry about the late start, but don’t get used to it. I’m Professor Hanson, and this is your TA, Dan Smith.”

            _What a plain name for someone so beautiful_ , Kyle thought.

            Dan awkwardly raised a hand and waved towards the class, his eyes scanning briskly across everybody until they passed Kyle, then did a double pass. Or maybe that was just Kyle’s wishful thinking.

            The professor began to drone about his syllabus and Kyle found it hard to keep up. He tried, of course, but every time he would get into the monotonous tone of the professor, his eyes would wander to Dan sitting in the corner frowning down at his laptop, and Kyle would have to take a deep breath and push through it because damn it, he was not falling for someone like this so fast.

            His heart didn’t listen to his head, though, because every damn time he came into class after the first day, all he was looking forward to was seeing Dan’s stupid hair and stupid little smile and that stupidly intense gaze he seemed to use only when he found something particularly interesting…

            Kyle hated to admit it, but he was in-fucking-lust with this man.

            Perhaps it was because of Dan, or because Kyle actually didn’t mind writing all that much, but with the first paper he wrote, Kyle tried hard to make it actually good. He even felt proud when Dan came around to pick them up and gave Kyle a slight nod that made butterflies flutter in his stomach. God, he felt like he was back in primary school again, that sort of rush of embarrassment at falling so fast for a near-stranger while the excitement of new feelings made it all worth it.

            Which is why, when Kyle got his first paper back and saw that it was covered in red ink, along with a neat C on top, that he felt his stomach drop. The first time in forever that he actually put his all into a paper, and he got a fucking C? He tried not to let it bother him, but he also wanted to know what the fuck was up.

            And maybe he wanted to talk to Dan one-on-one. Could you really blame him?

            So, he emailed the TA asking if he could come in to talk about his paper, and the next day, Kyle found himself waiting anxiously outside the office, shifting from foot to foot. He tried to squash the caterpillars in his stomach lest they turn into butterflies, but when Dan opened the door and gave Kyle a small smile, he knew he was a goner.

            “C’mon in,” said Dan brightly, motioning for Kyle to enter the office. Kyle gave what he hoped was a not-smitten smile and followed him inside a small, cramped office. It seemed that every inch was covered with books, with topics ranging from Shakespeare to journalism to literary theory and beyond.

            “So, what’d you want to talk about today?” Dan asked as he settled behind the desk that took up more than half the space of the room. As he spoke, he cleared papers away from the center of the desk and stacked them in unruly piles on the floor. “Oh, and sorry about the mess. It’s getting close to midterms, y’know?”

            “Yeah, no worries,” Kyle started, “I just wanted to ask a-about my paper and why I got the grade I did, I-I guess.” And of course, his stutter decided to make a fierce comeback right in front of Dan.

            Dan nodded, then asked, “What do you think I missed?”

            “Erm, I just thought I did better than I-I did, I guess,” Kyle said, realizing that he should’ve thought this through before he decided to make an arse out of himself.

            “Huh,” Dan said, “I could’ve missed something. Did you bring the paper with you?”

            Kyle nodded and quickly set the rumpled papers onto the desk, and together they went through each correction to see if it was warranted. Much to Kyle’s chagrin, most of the feedback he had gotten was legitimate, but Dan didn’t seem to mind. He seemed thoroughly interested in what Kyle had to say, and when Kyle spoke, even if it was with a stutter, Dan gave him that intense look that Kyle had been entranced by during lectures.

            God, that _look_. Kyle wondered how it was fair that one man could be so lucky as to have the prettiest eyes known to man. He also wondered if Dan ever looked at anything else like that, and how his lips might part if…

            _Jesus fuck Kyle_ , he thought to himself, trying to bring his brain back to the cramped office where Dan was too engrossed in explaining some journalistic concept to acknowledge that Kyle was in a different place. Kyle quickly focused his attention on Dan’s words, which quickly became being transfixed by his lips and _fuck_ he was doing it again.

            “Do you understand?” Dan asked, which forced Kyle to drag his eyes up from Dan’s lips to his eyes.

            “I-I think so,” he said, cursing himself for not paying attention. This was about his academic success, and he felt more like an infatuated teenager than a serious adult.

            Dan cocked his head and asked, “Are you sure? You don’t have to.”

            “Yeah, I’m just not really good with this stuff,” Kyle said with a shrug.

            “Well, if you’re having difficulties, we could always try and arrange to meet more often. Of course, only if you want to. I understand how busy this time of year is,” Dan gave a knowing smile, and Kyle tried not to blush.

            “Yeah, that’d be, uh, great,” he said. Was he seriously agreeing to spending more time with a man that made it hard to focus on anything else? Yes. Yes, he was.

            “Wicked,” Dan said with a smile, and that one word made Kyle break out into an uncontainable smile because goddamn that was so cute. “D’you wanna meet here every Wednesday then? Same time?”

            “Sure,” Kyle said, then began shuffling his paper back into order.

            As Dan got up to show Kyle out, he said, “Thanks for coming in. I’ll see what I can do about your grade.” With a wink and a smile, Dan watched as Kyle stepped out into the hall, trying to force his shaky legs to walk normally until he was out of sight.

***

            Try as he might, Kyle could never keep himself under control when he was around Dan. He found that his eyes would wander to the TA whenever he was in class, and when the lecture hall was devoid of his familiar frame, Kyle would always feel a swoop of disappointment. It’s not like his weekly tutoring sessions with Dan did him any good. If anything, being alone with Dan in that cramped space up close made it hard for Kyle to keep his mind on anything other than, well, he didn’t want to think about it.

            Dan didn’t seemed to notice until their third session together. As Dan was explaining something about journalistic integrity or something, Kyle was zoning out on his lips, because his cupid’s bow was shaped so nicely, and he had a bit of stubble around his chin that he hadn’t shaved, but it looked good on him and made Kyle wonder how it would feel if they kissed…

            “Kyle?” Dan asked as the other man jerked back.

            “Erm, sorry,” Kyle said, his eyes widening as he watched Dan give a small smile. Wait, was that a smirk? “I’m just pretty tired, and it’s just been a rough week,” he tried desperately, hoping that Dan wouldn’t see through this pathetic excuse.

            Dan nodded, and the smirk seemed to only deepen as he said, “Is there anything I can do to help you be able to focus more?”

            _Kiss me so I can finally figure out how your lips taste_ , Kyle thought hopelessly. What he actually said was, “I dunno mate, this stuff is pretty dry.”

            “Yeah,” Dan said with a chuckle, glancing down at the books spread out in front of them. “I guess we should take a break then, eh?”

            “Sure,” Kyle said, and not knowing what else to say, he asked, “So, what do you like about journalism?” Stupid question, but at least it would keep the awkward silence at bay. And maybe it would curb Kyle’s wild, rampant thoughts.

            Dan took a moment to ponder the question before he replied, “I like the way it combines the art of writing with the practicality of it, y’know? Like, not only do pieces have to be accurate, but they have to flow, have to tell a story.”

            “Yeah,” Kyle mused, his heart sinking because goddamn that was a good answer and he felt himself falling for Dan just a little bit more.

            “What about you?” Dan asked as he leaned back in his chair, his shirt riding up just a tad so that it showed the slightest amount of bare stomach.

            Kyle swallowed hard and tried to keep his eyes level with Dan’s. “Honestly? This is just fulfilling a requirement for my major. Sorry to be an arse.”

             “No worries, I figured as much,” Dan said, then frowned and said, “Sorry, that sounded rude. Just, no one takes this class unless they have to, yeah?”

            “Yeah, I got you. No worries,” Kyle said with an easy smile.

They bantered on like that for a while longer, the books between them being ignored in favor of light-hearted chatter. Kyle felt warm and happy, not only because Dan’s gaze made the back of his neck turn red, but also because Dan genuinely seemed to give a fuck about what Kyle was saying, and Kyle himself wanted to hear what Dan had to say because voice was so melodic and his posture so easy-going.

Kyle forgot that this was supposed to be a tutoring session until Dan glanced at his watch and said, “Fuck, we’re way over time.”

Kyle checked his phone and, shit, he had been there for over an hour. “Sorry, I guess we got carried away.”

“I guess we did,” Dan said with an inscrutable look on his face. His eyes darted up and down briefly, so quickly that Kyle thought his brain had played a trick on him until Dan said, “It was really nice though.”  
            “Yeah, gotta love this journalism,” Kyle said. He cringed almost immediately after, knowing that that’s not what Dan was referring to and hating himself for sounding like a giant idiot.

Luckily, Dan snorted at Kyle’s response and Kyle felt himself relax a little.

“Maybe we’ll get more done next week,” Kyle said as he put away his things.

“Maybe,” Dan mused, then gave Kyle a flirty smile.

Did Dan realize the power he had over Kyle, or was he oblivious to his charms? Either way, on Kyle’s way home, he couldn’t stop turning Dan’s words over in his head over and over again, until he was sure that perhaps his crush wasn’t so unrequited after all.

***

            The time came for the class to turn in their next paper, and Kyle hoped that this one was better, if only to prove to Dan that he had tried to listen during their tutoring sessions. It wasn’t Kyle’s fault that Dan’s mouth seemed to hug the words he spoke in the most fascinating way, and his eyes seemed to hold Kyle in place and make him catch his breath. As Dan went around the room to collect the papers, he seemed to give Kyle an extra warm smile as he approached him. Dan’s hand lightly brushed against Kyle’s as he took the paper, causing Kyle’s heart to flutter in his chest.

            Kyle guessed Dan was either favoring him or was a miracle worker, because when he got his next paper back, he had gotten a much better grade on it. It both elated and scared him, because while this would help his grade, he didn’t know how much longer he could pull the ‘I need extra help card’ to get one-on-one time with Dan.

            The time came for their weekly session, and when Kyle stepped into Dan’s cramped office, Dan said, “Funny seeing you here, since you’ve progressed so well.”

            “Yeah, well, learning never stops, right?” Kyle said nervously, hoping that the excuse didn’t sound as lame to Dan as it did to him.

            “Let’s look over your paper and see if you have any questions,” Dan said as he slid on his circular glasses. They framed his face so well and made him look both more scholarly and attractive at the same time. The discussion about Kyle’s paper seemed to go by disappointingly quickly, and they had finished before thirty minutes had passed.

            “Have these sessions been helping?” Dan asked as Kyle settled back in his seat.

            “Yeah, loads. As you can tell,” Kyle replied.

            Dan gave a small nod and a smile, which melted Kyle’s damn heart. “Well, unless you need anything else, I’d say you’re free to go.”

             “Oh, ah, okay,” Kyle said, hoping to mask the disappointment. Why was he even feeling like this? Dan was nice enough to put up with his hopeless attempts at flirting when they were working on schoolwork, why should he be forced to do it any longer than he absolutely had to?

            “Unless you needed something else,” Dan said, and Kyle could’ve sworn he heard an edge to Dan’s voice that had nothing to do with the paper.

            With a hard swallow, Kyle shrugged. “I like talking to you,” he blurted out, then immediately regretted it. God, he sounded like a hopeless fifth year admitting to their crush that they fancied them.

            “I do too,” Dan said, much to Kyle’s surprise. “How about we continue the conversation somewhere with a better atmosphere? I know of a bar just down the street.”

            Did-did Kyle just get invited on a date with his fucking TA? It took a moment for him to respond, but he managed to sputter out a yes.

            “Wicked,” Dan said with a grin. “Let me just gather my stuff, yeah?”

            After Kyle had put his things away and Dan had packed up for the night, the two men made their way down to a bar that was close to campus, which was only half-filled with raucous students and the occasional loner sipping a pint. Dan and Kyle picked out seats in a secluded corner where they talked about their favorite music, movies, and current politics, anything that crossed their minds. As the night grew on and they downed more drinks than strictly advisable, Kyle felt more emboldened by the liquid courage.

            There was a lull in the conversation, and Kyle took it upon himself to lean back and admire Dan’s hands and the way they wrapped around the pint glass, like they might wrap around-

            “Are you alright?” Dan’s voice cut through Kyle’s thoughts, stopping his daydream from getting any more vulgar.

            “Perfect, actually,” Kyle said with a smile. He was too far gone to feel embarrassed about being caught staring.

            “You do that a lot, y’know. Stare off into space,” Dan said.

            Kyle shrugged and replied, “Well, if you weren’t so bloody gorgeous, I might actually be able to pay attention.”

As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to take them back, but it was too late. Instead of recoiling, though, Dan only gave a small smirk.

“So that’s why you wanted to come in today, is it?”

“Maybe,” Kyle said with an equally as coy smile. He couldn’t believe this: he was outright flirting with Dan, his fucking TA, but he didn’t feel anything besides his heart beating faster in his chest and his body leaning closer to Dan.

Although Dan wasn’t helping much, as he was leaning close to Kyle too. “Maybe I’m glad you keep coming in. Maybe I want you to,” he said.

“Maybe I want you to come back to my place,” Kyle murmured, and it wasn’t until Dan’s eyes widened that Kyle realized he said that out loud. Before he could apologize, Dan gave Kyle a look that sent a zing of electricity down his spine as he rested his hand on Kyle’s knee under the table.

“Maybe I’ve been waiting to ask you to do that since the first day of class,” Dan replied.

Kyle thought he was dreaming, but Dan’s palm slowly slid up his leg until the warmth felt almost too close to the pressure mounting between Kyle’s legs.

“I’ll call a taxi. Let’s go,” Kyle said as he got out of his chair, Dan following closely behind.

***

            As soon as both men were in Kyle’s cramped flat, Dan had his lips on Kyle’s and the two men tumbled onto the couch in the middle of the sitting room with Kyle straddling Dan’s hips. Kyle tried to suppress a sigh of contentment as he finally figured out what Dan’s lips tasted like: a little bit of lingering alcohol, but more of Dan’s own scent and the spark of electricity.

            Their kisses turned hot and heavy quickly, with Dan’s hands reaching up under Kyle’s shirt and Kyle cupping Dan’s face. Kyle could hardly believe this was happening, that he was actually grinding his hips down onto Dan’s, but he felt a sharp surge of pleasurable pain as Dan tugged on Kyle’s lower lip, which made him realize that yes, he was snogging his hot TA, and he was fucking enjoying it.

            Before they could get any further, though, Kyle had to make sure this was okay. He broke apart from Dan, breathed in deeply and asked, “Is this okay? Do you want this?”

            “I’ve wanted this since I first saw you,” Dan said, his eyes clear and hungry for more.

            With a smile, Kyle leaned down and kissed Dan in response. They continued kissing like that for a while, their hands roaming each other’s sides, and sometime later Kyle realized that both their shirts were thrown on the ground and Dan was tugging on his belt loops. Kyle let his hips be pulled down, and he slowly ground down onto Dan’s lap. He could feel Dan start to get hard, the tension between them building until Kyle thought he would burst.

            “I have a bed,” he said in between kisses.

            “Is it far away?” Dan asked.

            “It’d be worth it,” Kyle murmured, moving his lips down Dan’s neck and eliciting a soft moan that made Kyle all the more resolved to get Dan into his bed as quickly as possible.

            “Yeah,” Dan said, and together they shakily got up and kissed down the hallway, stumbling over their legs and laughing quietly at the need between them. Kyle didn’t think of much else as he guided Dan towards the bed, only registering a small amount of shock when Dan sat on Kyle’s bed and pulled him closer by the hips so that Kyle was standing above Dan.

            Dan’s lips began tenderly kissing the soft skin just above Kyle’s waist, and he groaned, not wanting to think about the consequences of what he was about to do.

            With gentle hands, Dan began to unbutton Kyle’s jeans and fell onto his knees. Dan gave a pleading gaze up at Kyle which made him go even harder, and he muttered, “Stop teasing me, you prick.”

            Dan snickered but didn’t respond, only slowing his hands more until they moved at a glacial pace. Kyle gave a sigh and pulled down his jeans impatiently.

            “Say please,” Dan whispered as he rubbed the bulge in front of him.

            “God, please,” Kyle whimpered.

            In response, he felt Dan lean forward and take Kyle in his mouth, and god, it was worth the wait.

***  
            They ended up falling asleep in Kyle’s bed, Dan nuzzling against the younger man with his head tucked into the hollow of Kyle’s shoulder.

            As Kyle lay in bed, he tried to memorize everything about this moment, so he would never forget it. The way Dan’s messy hair seemed to be everywhere at once, the way their breathing seemed to be in sync, and the slight ache of his lips from last night all made him feel an overwhelming sense of contentment.

            “Kyle?” Dan’s soft voice filtered up to him, and Kyle smiled down at Dan fondly.

            “Yes?”

            “This doesn’t mean you get extra credit.”           


End file.
